An extraordinary week in British politics plunged the out-of-her-depth Liz Truss into turmoil, leading to her resignation after just 44 days in office. Her disastrous budget cutting taxes for the richest crashed the economy and led to open revolt in the Conservative party.
Last week at Prime Minister’s Questions I asked Truss about the impact privatisation has on our vital public services like Royal Mail and the NHS. She had no answers and the next morning she resigned.
Now we have another Tory Prime Minister imposed on us all, Rishi Sunak, trounced by Truss in the Tory leadership elections, installed by a handful of Tory MPs.
The wealthy former banker will undoubtedly try to gloss over his record in Government, but we know as Chancellor, he was the man at the helm when Tory chaos and incompetence caused the cost of living crisis.
Rishi Sunak – a Prime Minister who is twice as rich as the king – will continue to make decisions that benefit the wealthy at the expense of our communities. Cutting taxes for the rich and attacking the most vulnerable.
Just yesterday at his first Prime Minister’s Questions, Sunak boasted that there are deprived areas throughout the country whilst his backbenchers cheered.
Whenever Sunak talks about making tough decisions – remember it is working-class people who will be left to foot the bill – remember the impact his decisions as Chancellor had on our kids, the child poverty levels here have gone up 14% in the last 8 years to a staggering 39%.
Two months ago I started monthly surgeries at Hebburn Helps foodbank – I’m constantly being contacted by people who are in a desperate situation and don’t know what else to do.
Like a 73 year old woman from Wardley, who emailed me last week to say she has cut back on food and heating as much as she can and doesn’t know what else to do.
Last year there were 63,000 excess winter deaths – we know cold homes and fuel poverty are a contributing factor, this winter will be even worse with millions more living in cold homes.
Poverty is a political choice that Sunak will continue to make.
The people of South Tyneside don’t want another unelected Tory Prime Minister, they want – and need – change. They need a Government that will undo the damage inflicted by the Conservative’s, a Government that will look after our vulnerable kids and our elderly.
The Tories are not on the side of working people and never have been.
We don’t need more of the same old failed Tory ideas that got us into this mess: we need the fresh start for Britain that only Labour offers.
A Labour Government will invest in people, strengthen workers’ rights and tackle the energy and cost of living crisis with a state-owned fully green energy company, GB Energy.
Sunak, like Truss, has no mandate – the public need a say, and that is why we need a General Election now.